Stolen Minishots
by lupuscarmen13
Summary: Here, dearest fans, is a land of crack, of oneshots, of feels and angst. Thank you for being so loyal and helping me hit 100 reviews and beyond! 3


…**whatever I was expecting THAT was not it. As of now, 28 FREAKING REVIEWS for ONE update?! -flails all over the place and has foam fuzzing from corner of author's mouth- I seriously thought I had a WEEK to write this thing and have it up before we reached that, and at least one update...**

**not overnight!**

**-crying-**

**You guys are amazing and perfect and wonderful and HERE is your first minishot.**

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><p><strong>123/14: I'M SO SORRY. SO SO SO SORRY. I SHOULD HAVE POSTED THIS BACK IN THE SUMMER AND NOW IT'S WINTER AND I'M SOWWY. :( Here it is. I'm working on the next few as I post this.**

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><p><strong>Warning: Important Spoilers for anyone before Chapters 12-14. Do not read if you haven't reached this point.<strong> 

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><p><span><strong>Minishot #1: Taste the Rainbow<strong>

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><p><strong>PERCY<strong>

I suppose forcing myself into control wasn't the best plan.

Even three days after my return, painful headaches and shaky limbs plagued me. Inside, I could feel River railing, screaming for me to release him.

_Chill, dude_, I would tell him. _You've been in control for months- and it was my body first. I'm not stupid. I'm not going to risk Thalia's or anybody else's life just to reveal myself._

So. Yeah. Back to the story.

About three days after seizing control and waking up in the infirmary, I was lurking in my cabin, fiddling with my old stuff. It was around eleven in the morning, which meant lunch would be in an hour. I wasn't really hungry though, for fairly obvious reasons.

Leaning over, I picked up the cane that was leaning against the bedpost and spun it in my hand. Light spun off it as it transformed into a sword. There were times when I loved magic.

I turned my newer sword over in my callused hand, staring at the slightly dull metal. Shadowfoot. The few times I had been forced to used a weapon at camp, it had always been this one. After all, Riptide would have been recognized. Unlike my pen-sword, which was, as I had found out, a Xiphos (I _so_ cannot pronounce that), Shadowfoot was a basic claymore River and I had won from a monster shortly after escaping Tartarus

I sighed and spun the sword in my hand in the other direction, watching as it shrunk to the size of a stick. I slipped it into my pocket. The soft, almost inaudible sound of crashing waves seemed to grow louder for a second as the sun shone gently through the window, as if the sea itself was showing its dominance to the glowing ball of fire. I smiled lightly. It was good to be home.

...and this small cabin, as lovely and comforting as it was, was unfortunately boring, I realized, standing still in the middle of the low sea stone building. I quickly slipped on tennis shoes and opened the door into a battle.

For one long moment I stood still, not sure if what I was seeing was real. A second later, a brightly colored projectile narrowly missed my forehead and I yelped, dodging to the side and into someone else.

I went sprawling to the ground, the girl landing below me.

"GET OFF!" she yelled and I froze, my breath stilling in my chest.

Annabeth?

I stared down into her gray eyes and felt my heart pound harshly against my ribs as it restarted. I quickly rolled off her, trying on River's smirk.

"Duck!" Annabeth shouted, pulling my arm. A barrage of- where those Skittles?- flew over my head and pelted into a poor satyr. "Get up, Sea-" she swallowed. "Come on!"

Annabeth wrenched me to my feet and pulled me with her, weaving through the Skittle-filled air.

"What's going on?" I shouted, ducking my head as neon green candy pieces came spiraling at me.

"Iris kids," Annabeth growled, tossing me towards the nearest cabin- Hermes. My eyes widened for a moment before I slammed into the caduceus symbol on the door.

Annabeth turned the handle, swearing softly in Ancient Greek when she felt the door locked. "STOLLS!" she shouted. "OPEN THE DOOR!"

"Ah..." a voice came from inside. "We're good, we think."

"CONNOR!"  
>"Fine, fine..."<p>

I let out a yelp as several Skittles impaled themselves into the wood next to my head. I stared at them for a moment.

"What in Tart-"

"Open the door!" Annabeth shouted, her hand twitching around the handle of her knife. I wilted a bit at the irritated fury in her eyes.

"Coming, coming," Connor muttered.

"You're stalling!" Annabeth growled, her gray eyes flashing.

"No," Travis called cheerfully. "We're Stolling."

I groaned, trying not to grin. Same old Stolls...

The door open just as the Iris kids gained on us, spotting us.

"TASTE THE RAINBOW!" Butch shouted, a mad gleam in his eyes. I yelped, diving forward.

The door slammed shut behind us. A pattering sound, unlike rain, followed soon after.

Connor quickly locked the door above my head as I got to my feet, holding my head. "Ow..."

"Okay, River?" Travis asked from the bunk bed, his legs swinging.

"Huh?" I said, blinking.

_Idiot,_ River whispered.

"Oh, yeah. I'm fine," I said, rubbing my head. I just knew that a giant knot the size of Zeus' toga was going to pop up there...

"Hmm..." Connor said, peering at my head. "I don't know-" he said.

"You seem a little disoriented," Travis said, hopping down from the bed. "Maybe you-"  
>"Shut up," Annabeth said, her voice filled with annoyance. All three of us wilted back. "You left us to be attacked by the Iris kids!"<br>"Survival of the-" Connor started, only to have Travis slap a hand over his mouth.

"We let you in eventually," Travis said, trying to calm her.

I winced in sympathy as sparks flew from Annabeth's eyes.

"Hey, what was going on?" I asked, trying to distract her, but also genuienly curious.

"New tradition," Annabeth said, the sparks dying in her eyes. Behind me, I heard Connor and Travis sigh in relief. "Once a month the Iris kids smuggle in enough Skittles to have a war. Anyone hit has to do dishes for a week."

"Why?"

Annabeth's mouth twisted into something bitter and sad. My heart jolted, and I struggled not to rush up and be her Seaweed Brain. Suddenly, I felt heavy.

She looked so fractured. This wasn't supposed to be how Annabeth looked.

I glanced away.

"...after Percy died," she said softly, her voice dropping several decibels. "Butch thought it would be a good way to cheer up camp. And it stuck."

I glanced up again. Her smile was a little less broken now, but the heaviness in my heart stayed the same. And her eyes, her beautiful, tumultuous gray eyes were still shadowed.

_Glad you broke out?_ River asked bitterly, deep inside.

"Oh," I said, glancing away and shoving my hands in my pockets, emulating River as best I could. "I see."

Annabeth cleared her throat and glanced out the windows.

"It's over," she said. "Butch caught a couple newbies and they're out of Skittles. Let's go."

She walked over to the door, unlatched it, and disappeared into the bright outdoors. For a moment I stood still, swallowing. Then I shook my head and walked out.

I didn't know how long I'd keep control. But I was willing to make the most of it.


End file.
